


Assumptions About Michelle Jones: Observation

by RedUmbrella89



Series: Who is Michelle Jones? [6]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Character Study, Cinnamon Roll Peter Parker, F/M, Michelle Jones Character Study, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Michelle Jones Needs a Hug, POV Michelle Jones, Protective Peter Parker, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:46:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23518657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedUmbrella89/pseuds/RedUmbrella89
Summary: Michelle Jones was observant, everyone knew that. Most people didn’t appreciate it, since she rarely forgot anything and could cut down pretty much anyone with a well-timed comment. MJ liked to think she used this power for good – when Flash was being a dick to Peter for example - but most of the time she kept what she saw to herself. She wasn’t one for gossip and she figured that everyone had the right to their secrets. It wasn’t her fault if people were terrible at hiding them.
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: Who is Michelle Jones? [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1477616
Comments: 6
Kudos: 66





	Assumptions About Michelle Jones: Observation

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while since I've done an update on this series. I had the outline of this Observations story written ages ago but then writers block hit and I couldn't finish it. Until today! Inspiration struck and voila! I hope you like it. Peter is more prevalent in this one too!

Michelle Jones was observant, everyone knew that. Most people didn’t appreciate it, since she rarely forgot anything and could cut down pretty much anyone with a well-timed comment. MJ liked to think she used this power for good – when Flash was being a dick to Peter for example. Most of the time though she kept what she saw to herself. She wasn’t one for gossip and she figured that everyone had the right to their secrets. It wasn’t her fault if they were terrible at hiding them. 

One person in particular was truly awful at hiding his secrets: Peter Parker. MJ hadn’t 100% figured out what he was hiding but she was highly suspicious and had started to collect a long list of examples supporting her theory; that Peter Parker was Spiderman. When the idea first crept into her head, she had dismissed it. Peter was the most unassuming person and he had never been particularly athletic but the more she thought about it, the stronger the possibility became. 

First of all, he had the heart of a superhero. He was selfless, he was always helping people, he was brave and he had a breath-taking disregard for his own well being. That was clue number one.

Clue number two was the physical changes. They were little things, moments that most people wouldn’t have noticed; the quick reflexes at catching pens that rolled off his desk, his ability to run from the train station to his first class without any change in breathing, accidentally breaking the leg of a stool. Peter had caught Michelle watching when he broke the stool leg and had very quickly claimed that it was already mostly broken. With no way to prove otherwise, she had accepted his explanation but now she currently sat on the bleachers watching Peter add yet another snippet of evidence to her collection. 

They were in gym class. Michelle wasn’t feeling well so she was excused from taking part. Her gym teacher had agreed to let her sit out when she pointed out that he would likely have to clean up any vomit that resulted from her forced exercise. 

So, as her classmates were engaged in gymnastics, she was watching as Peter hung half-way up the rope, casually holding himself up with one arm while he talked to Ned on the ground. He had been doing so for almost a minute. She watched as Ned pointed to Peter – no doubt reminding him of his current show of extreme strength – and Peter immediately let go, letting himself fall unceremoniously to the ground. 

Michelle rolled her eyes. She didn’t know what was more absurd – Peter’s lack of awareness or her classmates’. 

He stood up, seemingly shaken and Michelle squinted trying to spot if his stumble was real or an act. Peter was patting Ned on the shoulder, encouraging his best friend to have a go on the rope, when he spotted Michelle and waved. Michelle tilted her chin in acknowledgement. One benefit to their growing friendship was that Michelle didn’t have to be as surreptitious in her observations of him. 

Still, she couldn’t come outright and ask if he was running around New York in spandex, they weren’t that close. 

Clue number three was an event where she couldn’t fully explain what had happened. 

One day she, Ned and Peter had been hanging out after school. They were heading to get some pizza, MJ walking ahead of the two boys. They were lost in a debate over who would win in a fight between the Hulk and Thor and MJ had quickly lost interest. As such she was a good couple metres in front when she reached the road crossing. 

The light was still red when MJ stepped out into the road but apparently the cab coming straight at her didn’t care for the rules of the road. Michelle’s world slowed as she watched the car speed towards her, her body frozen in fright. Instinct took over as her eyes closed and she raised her arms to cover her chest and head. She thought she could hear her name being called before she felt a forceful jolt yank her backwards.

Michelle’s heart raced and she could feel the adrenaline surging through her body. It took her a moment to register that she hadn’t been hit and that she was still standing up. Opening her eyes Michelle saw that she was in fact several metres away from the edge of the road. Her arms dropped and she inhaled sharply, relief flooding through her. 

“Holy shit, MJ,” Ned said from beside her. 

Michelle turned her head to see Ned looking at her, his eyes wide. It was then that she registered that Peter wasn’t stood beside Ned anymore. He was behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. His grip was a little painful but for the moment, she was convinced it was the only thing keeping her stood up. She thought she could feel his heart hammering through his chest, but it could have just as easily still been hers. 

Craning her neck she tried to turn to see Peter. It was awkward because of how he was holding her but she managed to tilt her head to catch his eye.

Peter looked at her, panic evident in his eyes. “You okay?” he asked.

She couldn’t say anything. She just nodded. In this position his face was very, very close to hers; their noses were practically touching. If she hadn’t just nearly been hit by a car she would probably be freaking out about that but as it stood she was still reeling from shock. 

Peter let go of her and Michelle stepped away but he kept a hand behind her back in case she needed steadying. 

“Um, I think I’ll skip the pizza,” she said. “Kinda just want to get home now.”

“We’ll walk you,” Peter said, and Michelle nodded. She wasn’t about to argue.

Later, as she mulled over the incident, a host of questions presented themselves. How had Peter pulled her back so far? He had been a good couple of metres behind her to begin with so in the space of three seconds he had been able to see the car, run to her, grab her and pull her all the way back. How strong was he as well? The force with which she had been pulled back was big – she had literally come off her feet. How had he done it without falling over?

Also, the badge from the back of her backpack was missing. It had been a large white badge with ‘Ignorance is not bliss’ written on it. It had been there when they left school and was missing when she had gotten home. 

Michelle had spent that evening watching Spiderman videos on YouTube. There were dozens of him using his web shooters to throw things and, most interestingly, to pull things towards him. And so, it was added to the list.

The fourth clue was when she summoned the courage to ask Peter to hang out.

They were in art class. Michelle was working on her project, a collection of drawings capturing the essence of the Blip. She was so engrossed in her work that at first, she didn’t notice that Peter wasn’t doing anything. Art wasn’t really a subject he was interested in but usually he sat and doodled something or did homework for other classes. 

This class however Peter was doing nothing but staring at the back wall. Following his gaze Michelle saw he was looking at the wall adorned with Iron Man pictures. He looked so sad that Michelle began to wonder where his mind could be.

He hadn’t ever spoken about where he was when he was dusted – many didn’t – and Michelle respected his wish not to be asked about it, but in moments like this she wished that she knew what had happened. 

Michelle genuinely thought that Peter could be Spiderman, but until that moment she hadn’t properly considered what that could really mean. 

She had seen the footage of Spiderman being pulled into the sky towards the alien spaceship but what had happened to him afterwards was a mystery. It was assumed that Spiderman accompanied Iron Man into space and Michelle had always believed that to be true but seeing Peter so sad and broken made Michelle hope that it wasn’t true. 

If Peter had gone to space – Michelle felt crazy for even entertaining the idea – what might he have seen out there? What had he been through and where the hell had he gone? Had he encountered Thanos? The idea was terrifying. 

Peter being Spiderman would explain his devastation at losing Tony. Michelle had always believed that Peter had a Stark Internship even if others didn’t. He was intelligent, he could easily have gotten a place, but she doubted that Tony Stark would have had such hands-on involvement with his interns. However, if Peter was Spiderman, he would have been a lot closer to the man. 

Michelle rubbed her forehead, staving off the beginnings of a headache. The class was ending and, whether Peter was Spiderman or not, her friend was clearly in a bad place and she wanted to help. 

“Hey,” she said, halting beside some lockers. “Do you want to get some ice cream or something after school?”

Peter blinked in surprise. “It’s February.”

“Or a churro, or something”, Michelle said, panicking. “I just…I have a craving for something sweet.” She smiled, hoping that she wasn’t coming across as awkward as she felt. He hadn’t said yes right away, and she was nervous that she was making a fool out of herself.

“Huh,” Peter said. “I never figured you to have a sweet tooth-” 

“Do you want to go or not, Parker?” Michelle interrupted, her embarrassment growing by the second.

“Um, yeah, sure,” Peter quickly stammered. He was twisting his fingers which Michelle knew was one of his nervous ticks. Was that a good sign? “Should I meet you back here when school’s over?”

“Yeah, sound’s good,” Michelle said. “Ned can come too, obviously,” she added quickly. 

“He’s got computer club after school, so…”

“Okay well then, I’ll…see you later,” Michelle said, starting to move away.

“Okay,” Peter said with a smile. 

“Okay.” _‘Stop saying okay!’_ Michelle yelled at herself. With a nod she spun on her heel and hightailed it to her next class, ignoring her heart hammering in her chest.

The next day Michelle was stood at her locker when she heard Peter call her name. Peeking out from behind the metal door she saw him jogging towards her. Ignoring him she closed her locker and started walking away.

“MJ,” he called again. She continued to ignore him but it wasn’t long until he was at her shoulder, forcing her to listen to him.

“I’m really sorry,” he began. Michelle didn’t look at him. She really didn’t want to hear his excuses, she just wanted to run away from him as fast as possible. “May was locked out,” he continued, “and I had to let her back in-”

“It’s fine,” Michelle said curtly, cutting him off.

“Then, she had some work thing and-"

“I said it’s fine, Parker.” MJ stopped abruptly, causing Peter to double back awkwardly. 

MJ was still feeling the sting of him abandoning her the day before. They had been in line to get churros when Peter said that May had just sent him an urgent message. May’s message had conveniently arrived just before Spiderman was spotted rescuing people from a burning car nearby. 

Before leaving he had promised to come back if she waited, which she did. She felt thoroughly stupid for doing so now. She had felt like such an idiot sat by herself with two churros, especially when she noticed a couple of people glancing her way, wanting her table. Even if he was Spiderman she was upset at him for not coming back. 

The fact that this incident was further proof of her theory didn’t add any solace. She was annoyed at herself for believing that he would return, that he would care enough about her to remember she was waiting.

Peter opened his mouth to say something else but was cut off by the bell. MJ took her chance. 

“I’m late for class,” she said and walked off.

She saw Peter only once more that day, briefly, in the cafeteria. She had just walked in when she saw he and Ned sat together in their usual spot. The second she entered the room Peter’s attention had snapped to her. He made no motion for her to join them or to wave in greeting. He just sat and watched her, clearly waiting to see what she would do. MJ made her decision quickly; she turned and walked back out. 

That night Michelle went through her list of evidence of Peter as Spiderman. It ranged from the very subtle to the downright obvious and, as she read through all of her notes, Michelle questioned what exactly she was doing. What benefit was this endeavour bringing her exactly? So she could prove that she was smart enough to figure out Spiderman’s identity? Michelle sighed. She knew that was only part of it; the other part was that it was a way for her to feel closer to Peter. Emotionally MJ didn’t trust that she would ever be able to get that close to Peter so by figuring out this potential secret of his MJ could fool herself into thinking that she had some connection with him.

Feeling every inch the idiot, Michelle put her notes away and decided to accept that, as much as she wanted to get closer to Peter, she couldn't fabricate a relationship with him out of thin air if he wasn’t interested. 

The next day was a Friday and Michelle was hopeful that she could get through it with minimal Peter contact. She did not.

“I got you this, as an apology for the other day.”

MJ looked up from her book to see Peter standing opposite her holding out a small card. He smiled at her softly, his face pure earnest hope that she would take his peace offering and her stomach clenched. 

She held out her hand to him, indicating that he should put the card in her palm. He happily did so, his fingers brushing hers as he pulled his hand back. The contact sent a shiver up Michelle’s arm. 

She quickly drew her arm back and inspected the card. It was a loyalty card for churro shop.

“Thanks, Parker,” she said and returned her attention to her book, deliberately keeping a neutral expression. He was here, giving her a present because he was sorry, because he _cared._ ‘Internal Michelle’ was freaking out and she needed to focus on something other than the cute ass boy who was still looking at her. 

“I thought you could use that whenever you get a sugar craving or just…fancy some churros,” Peter said. He was rocking back on his heels and swinging his arms absently as he spoke, and Michelle had to bite her cheek to keep from smiling. He was so damn cute.

“I can use it the next time you need cheering up. It shouldn’t be too long, you’re super sad, like, all the time,” she said, closing her book. Peter grinned and Michelle managed a tight-lipped smile. 

“Sounds good but what about when I’m not feeling sad?” He fixed her with a suggestive stare that MJ did not appreciate at all.

“You want a churro, don’t you?”

“It’s all I’ve wanted all day.”

“I think I could swing that. By the way, do you know what happened to the badge on my backpack. I think it got torn off the other week when I was nearly hit by that car.”

MJ watched as Peter's eyes widened and he started stammering. "Oh, er, it um...fell off when we were walking you home. It fell down a grate and I, I didn't know how to tell you."

MJ narrowed her eyes as Peter started to twist his fingers together in the classic Peter Parker nervous twitch. "It fell down a grate?"

"I don't know what to tell you, crazier things have happened."

Michelle eyed Peter, wondering if he realised how ironic his comment was. They certainly had.

**Author's Note:**

> Poor Petey, in saving MJ he had to rip the badge off her backpack because it was covered in his webbing XD Not even he could come up with a ridiculous lie to hide that!


End file.
